Jonathon Worthington: Strangelight Investigator

Case #17: The Mystery of the Giggling Gobber (Chapter 6)

The camp was buzzing like an angry hive. It was a testament to the fortitude of the miners that even those who had barely collapsed into cots from the night shift gathered themselves up and lent their own efforts so willingly to the rescue efforts. Their stalwart nature touched a chord within me, and I was left with regret that I had no skill or strength to contribute to their noble endeavors.

Instead I found myself sitting opposite of Lord Lochlin and his assistant in a nearly-deserted mess tent, prodding what might have been eggs at some time in the ancient past with a bent fork. The cooks that manned the chow line looked anxious, and I couldn't help but feel guilty, as if our presence was keeping them away from the disaster site. From the dirty and bloody men who passed through the tent for a quick bite to eat I was able to glean that the explosion had been quite serious, and that an entire crew was still trapped down in the mines. No one knew if any of the men had survived; all the others could do was pray to Morrow while they bent their backs towards the excavation efforts. Orsch had excused himself after barely touching his own breakfast to lend his strength to their efforts, despite the objections of all present that he was still recovering from the night's dangers. Knowing his propensity for avoiding the sweat and grime of physical labor it surprised me that he would do such a thing but I applauded his effort all the same.

"Don't worry, lad, these men are the salt of the earth," Lord Lochlin assured me. "They won't give up on their friends until either their picks or their backs break."

"I feel a tad bit useless. What fear can these men feel for a phantom that strikes at them singularly when they can lose all of their lives so easily? The threat of the supernatural must pale to them when compared to the dangers of their daily tasks."

"Nonsense!" the senior lord harrumphed. "I've seen the strongest sailors in Five Fingers, men that could best a warjack in an arm wrestling contest and boast all the while, reduced to a bawling child when faced with such things. Never underestimate the terror that the hidden monsters of the world foster in the sturdiest of hearts. These men are used to the rigors of their menial lives; they take the everyday dangers for granted. But the nightmares of the arcane are ethereal, and men accustomed to grappling with their problems in the very real physical sense are often terrified of such intangible threats. Never doubt that you provide these men a service they cannot do without. A single malevolent spirit can do more damage to this camp's morale than a dozen cave-ins."

I gave up trying to separate the eggs from the plate and set my fork aside, carefully weighing what I was about to say. "What if it isn't a supernatural event plaguing this area?"

"There's no chance of that, lad," Lord Lochlin shook his head emphatically. "We detected a spike of incredible proportions in the local phantasmal background emanations as we approached the camp. It literally blew out one of the sensing tubes; such was the power that was exuded! Other than the haunting what else could be the source of such a massive distortion in the Urcaen-Caen boundaries?"

It didn't make any sense. I knew for a fact that there was no specter haunting the mansion on the hill. The curse would have let me know in no uncertain terms that there was the taint of the supernatural in the area, and as yet it had not even stirred. Was it possible that the affliction was changing, evolving somehow? While I would be grateful for the departure of the crippling nausea and cold shakes the prospect held a more permanent dangers. Without the ill effects that accompanied my brushes with the arcane it would make tracking down my cure that much more difficult. In the short term it would mean respite; but for my life it meant a rather nasty end much sooner than I'd prefer.

Mistaking my ruminations for disbelief, Cora hit the table angrily, making the utensils and plates dance. "Fine, then, be that way! Why don't you go check for yourself? I just finished repairing the sensing tubes this morning; come on, put your copper where your mouth is!" The sudden and unprovoked outburst caught me by surprise, and I simply stared at her in response, my mouth sadly agape in wonderment at the flare of her temper.